Cele was speaking at the joint portfolio committee on police and women in parliament on Wednesday. Police Minister Bheki Cele has told cops not to be insensitive towards r@pe victims.
“Sometimes police don’t know how to treat victims and make them double victims in the process,” he said.
Charge office staff said the minister, often told victims to go back home and negotiate. “Usually, if you go back to negotiate you come back a second time,’’ he said.
“The third time most women don’t come back and everybody thinks the matter is settled, but by that time they’re dead.”
DA MP Terri Stander told Cele: “Cops normally get five days’ training on how to handle a firearm but they’re not trained how to deal with sensitive matters.”
Replying to Stander’s claims, Cele said he had instructed management to assemble teams made up of women. He admitted that it must be traumatic for women to have to describe to male cops details of their rape ordeal.
“If it’s woman to woman, it will be easier. That’s one thing we’re trying to work on,” he said. The minister said some cops had a habit of asking victims how they were dresssed when they were raped.
“Women have a right to dress as they wish,” said Cele. “Police are not fashion advisers who may tell them ‘your skirt is too short’. “It’s not your business. Your business is to open a case and protect women.”
Source: Daily Sun
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